12 Jun 2018 --- Meat-free food producer, Quorn, plans to remove 297 tons of non-recyclable black plastic from its supply chain. The move comes as part of the brand’s ambitions to achieve 100 percent recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2025. Quorn claims that their elimination of black plastics is a UK first from a major food brand and one that will help reinforce their identity as a leader in sustainable nutrition.
06 Jun 2018 --- Plastic nanoparticles – which are tiny pieces of plastic less than 1 micrometer in size – could potentially contaminate food chains, ultimately affecting human health, a study conducted at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has found. The study found that such nanoplastics are easily ingested by marine life and accumulate over time. This creates a risk of transference to the human food chain. They suggest this could threaten food safety and pose health risks.
28 May 2018 --- Nestlé is bringing the Garden Gourmet food brand to the UK, "offering delicious and healthy meat-free products for food lovers looking to cut down on meat but not wanting to compromise on taste." Answering the popular consumer lifestyle trend; flexitarianism, or eating less meat and more plant-based protein, Garden Gourmet is claimed to offer an exciting variety of “scrumptious meat alternatives” made with the highest quality ingredients.
23 Apr 2018 --- Two commonly used grill flavors [Grillin’ 5078 and Grillin’ CB-200SF] are no longer allowed in the EU as of yesterday [April 22, 2018]. Despite efforts from the supplier Red Arrow Products [a Kerry business since the end of 2015] for a last minute reprieve for the flavorings, this has not been successful.
16 Apr 2018 --- UK supermarket chain, Sainsbury’s, has announced plans to sell raw meat in touch-free packaging to meet the growing demand of the millennial consumer. The straight-to-pan plastic pouches – commonly known as “doypacks” within the industry – allow customers to cook raw meats without directly touching the product.
12 Apr 2018 --- Goat’s meat is being tipped as an ethical and sustainable alternative to lamb as celebrity chefs and the foodservice industry tap into the health benefits of this full-flavored meat. Goat’s meat has long been served by many ethnic restaurants and is central to cooking elsewhere in the world, but has never seemed to make it mainstream in Britain – but that could be about to change, according to a recent article in The Guardian.
04 Apr 2018 --- Vacuum packaging innovators, Supervac, presented a new automated packaging machine at Anuga FoodTec 2018 in Cologne, capable of combining flexible packaging sizes in a continuous and fully automatic filling and loading process. Alexander Aigner, Managing Partner of Supervac, speaks to FoodIngredientsFirst at the show about the performance potential of the new machine.
02 Mar 2018 --- Lab-grown meat is making waves among some of the world’s biggest investors tipping the innovation to be the future of protein-packed food – and now new research reveals nearly one in three consumers are willing to eat it.
01 Mar 2018 --- Organic supermarket chain, Ekoplaza, has opened the world’s first plastic-free aisle in its Amsterdam store in what is seen as a major victory for the international A Plastic Planet campaign. Plans are ahead to roll-out further plastic-free aisles across all of Ekoplaza’s 74 branches by the end of 2018, including a new store in The Hague, which is set to open later this year.
27 Feb 2018 --- Meat remains a central protein element in the food industry as a whole, but challenges are impacting consumption and production globally. Poultry is the world’s fastest-growing meat category. The category itself overlaps into many food sectors, such as convenience foods, frozen foods and the snacking category. But what image does the meat industry have as a whole? What is changing in terms of to consumer preference and regulation? Are consumers looking for alternative proteins? And is the “mindful” consumer making good choices when it comes to the consumption of meat products? FoodIngredientsFirst investigates.
02 Feb 2018 --- Clean meat innovators Memphis Meats has been getting a lot of attention from investors recently with billionaire businessmen Richard Branson and Bill Gates staking their claim in the pioneering company last year – and now the venture capital arm of Tyson Foods has invested in the food tech startup which lab-grows meat directly from animal cells.
01 Feb 2018 --- Sysco Corp and US Foods Holding Corp have joined retailer Winn-Dixie Stores and other poultry buyers in suing some of America's biggest chicken processors for allegedly conspiring to inflate prices.
24 Jan 2018 --- Researchers at Oregon State University are developing a new technology to deliver water-soluble nutrients to aquaculture-raised fish, oysters, clams and shrimp that will boost their growth rates and reduce the high rates of mortality that plague the industry.
03 Jan 2018 --- Groundbreaking Israeli food-tech startup, SuperMeat, has raised US$3 million in seed funding and has joined forces with one of Europe’s largest poultry producers, PHW, establishing itself as a significant contender in the global shift towards lab-grown clean chicken.The recent seed round was led by US-based venture capital fund New Crop Capital and VC firm Stray Dog Capital with both firms saying they are openly committed to investing in more sustainable food systems.
20 Dec 2017 --- The 2 Sisters Food Group, which was at the center of a safety scandal earlier this year following an undercover expose which revealed poor hygiene standards and serious food safety breaches, is once again in the spotlight as media reports claim that Tesco found issues at a second plant where inspectors gave a “red” warning rating to processes at a chicken plant in Scotland.
19 Dec 2017 --- Sustainability and the notion of a circular economy are high on both the industry and consumer radar, with “Mindful Choices” and “Going Full Circle” among Innova Market Insights’ Top Ten Trends for 2018. One of the most important sustainability platforms relates to fish & seafood. The market researcher also notes “Ocean Garden” as one of its 2018 trends, where the industry is looking towards the sea as a source for ingredients and more holistic nutrition inspiration.
21 Nov 2017 --- British MPs have ruled that problems at the English poultry and food manufacturing group 2 Sisters – which suspended operations last month due to hygiene concerns following an undercover operation – were "not a one-off”. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee launched its inquiry into 2 Sisters and poultry standards following an expose by The Guardian and ITN which found evidence of 2 Sisters workers altering the slaughter date of poultry, raising the risk that shoppers could end up buying meat past its use-by date.
21 Nov 2017 --- Vessels arrested for illegally fishing in West African waters are still carrying on with business as usual, claims a Greenpeace Africa report released today on World Fisheries Day. The report, “The Cost of Ocean Destruction”, details how West African fishermen and communities continue to suffer from the consequences of overfishing and illegal fishing in this region and it provides specific recommendations for Governments on how to solve the crisis.
21 Nov 2017 --- New research from WorldFish undertaken as part of the CGIAR Research Program on Fish Agri-food Systems (FISH) identifies means to lessen the use of antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, antivirals, and antiprotozoals, in aquaculture. Intensification of fish farming systems has resulted in higher risks of disease outbreaks and a subsequent trend towards more antimicrobial use the report says.
09 Nov 2017 --- The European Union and other fishing nations of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will discuss a potential drastic increase in the total allowable catch of East Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna at a meeting next week (14-22 November) in Morocco.
